Power management system and power outlet unit

ABSTRACT

A power management system having: a power supply unit; a power meter that detects the total power consumption of power supplied from the power supply unit; a plurality of current sensors that each detect the current flowing to a plurality of power consumption units connected to the power supply unit; and a control unit that calculates the power consumption of each of the plurality of power consumption units by using the power meter and the plurality of current sensors. A power outlet unit having: an outlet to which power is supplied from the power supply unit; a current sensor that detects the current flowing through the outlet to the power consumption unit connected to the outlet; and a transmission unit that sends current detection results from the current sensor to the power supply unit.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a power management system and a poweroutlet unit (a connection relaying unit).

BACKGROUND ART

There have been made many proposals for power management systems, andfor power outlet units used for distribution of electric power. Poweroutlet units are specifically known as wall sockets and power strips.For example, according to one proposal for power outlets, a controlsignal that reflects operation on an operation panel is transmitted toeach power outlet to control a power distribution controller provided inthe power outlet, thereby to turn on and off the supply of electricpower to a load. According to this proposal, each power outlet isprovided with an address setter which assigns it a unique address sothat, when an address included in a received transmission signal matchesthe one assigned to the power outlet by the address setter, the powerdistribution controller turns on and off a contact based on the controlsignal (Patent Document 1). Another proposal is directed to the readingof identifying information stored in IC tags in power plugs of electricappliances in the field of automatic control of electric appliances, ahot-water supply installation, etc. in a household through themonitoring of their energy consumption and operation status (PatentDocument 2).

LIST OF CITATIONS Patent Literature

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No.    2010-093590-   Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No.    2011-254229

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

For power management systems and power outlet units to be more useful,many problems are still to be studied. On the other hand, common homeappliances are not always capable of being controlled or being monitoredfor electric power consumption.

Against the background discussed above, the present invention aims topropose more useful power management systems and power outlet units,thereby to make it possible to control, and monitor the electric powerconsumption of, even a home appliance that is incapable of beingcontrolled or being monitored for electric power consumption.

Means for Solving the Problem

According to one aspect of the present invention, a power managementsystem includes: a power supplier; a power meter which detects the totalpower consumption of electric power supplied from the power supplier; aplurality of current sensors which detect electric currents passingrespectively through a plurality of power consumers connected to thepower supplier; and a controller which calculates the power consumptionby each of the plurality of power consumers based on the power meter andthe plurality of current sensors (a first configuration).

Preferably, the power management system according to the firstconfiguration further includes: a power outlet unit to which electricpower is supplied from the power supplier, the power outlet unitincluding a plurality of outlets to which the plurality of powerconsumers are connected respectively. Here, the plurality of currentsensors are provided respectively in the plurality of outlets to whichthe plurality of power consumers are connected respectively (a secondconfiguration). Preferably, in the power management system according tothe second configuration, the controller controls the supply of electricpower to the respective outlets (a third configuration).

Preferably, in the power management system according to the secondconfiguration, the power outlet unit includes a transmitter whichtransmits the results of current detection by the current sensors to thepower supplier (a fourth configuration). Preferably, in the powermanagement system according to the first configuration, the controllerincludes an inferrer which infers the kinds of the plurality of powerconsumers based on the electric currents detected respectively by theplurality of current sensors (a fifth configuration).

According to another aspect of the present invention, a power outletunit includes: an outlet to which electric power is supplied from apower supplier; a current sensor which detects an electric currentpassing via the outlet through a power consumer connected to the outlet;and a transmitter which transmits the result of current detection by thecurrent sensor to the power supplier (a sixth configuration).

Preferably, in the power outlet unit according to the sixthconfiguration, the transmitter transmits, to the power supplier,identifying information by which a power consumer connected to theoutlet is identified (a seventh configuration). Preferably, in the poweroutlet unit according to the sixth configuration, the transmittertransmits, to the power supplier, information on whether or not a powerconsumer is connected to the outlet (an eighth configuration).

Preferably, the power outlet unit according to the sixth configurationfurther includes: a switch which turns on and off the outlet based oncontrol from the controller (a ninth configuration). Preferably, in thepower outlet unit according to the sixth configuration, a control signalis fed to a power consumer connected to the outlet based on control fromthe controller (a tenth configuration).

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a powermanagement system includes: a power supplier; a plurality of currentsensors which detect electric currents supplied from the currentsupplier and passing respectively through a plurality of powerconsumers; and a controller which infers the kinds of the plurality ofpower consumers based on the electric currents detected respectively bythe plurality of current sensors (an eleventh configuration).

Preferably, in the power management system according to the eleventhconfiguration, the controller is provided in the current supplier (atwelfth configuration). Preferably, the power management systemaccording to the eleventh configuration further includes: a power outletunit which receives electric power from the power supplier, the poweroutlet unit including a plurality of outlets to which the plurality ofpower consumers are connectible and a plurality of switches whichcontrol the supply of electric power to the outlets respectively. Here,the current sensors and the controller are provided in the power outletunit (a thirteenth configuration).

Preferably, in the power management system according to the eleventhconfiguration, the controller infers the kinds of the power consumersbased on variation of the electric currents passing through the powerconsumers (a fourteenth configuration). Preferably, in the powermanagement system according to the fourteenth configuration, thecontroller infers the kinds of the power consumers based on one of, or acombination of two or more of, a maximum current, a current variationwidth, and a current variation pattern with respect to the electriccurrents passing through the power consumers (a fifteenthconfiguration).

Preferably, in the power management system according to the eleventhconfiguration, the controller infers the kinds of the power consumersbased on a time factor with respect to the electric currents passingthrough the power consumers (a sixteenth configuration). Preferably, inthe power management system according to the sixteenth configuration,the controller infers the kinds of the power consumers based on one of,or a combination of, a current consumption time zone and a currentconsumption frequency with respect to the electric currents consumed bythe power consumers (a seventeenth configuration). Preferably, in thepower management system according to the eleventh configuration, thecontroller includes a storage in which a history of variation of theelectric currents as fed from the current sensors is stored (aneighteenth configuration).

Preferably, in the power management system according to the thirteenthconfiguration, the plurality of current sensors are provided in thepower outlet unit, and the power outlet unit includes a communicatorwhich transmits, to the current supplier, results of current detectionby the plurality of current sensors and which receives, from the currentsupplier, control signals for controlling the plurality of switches (anineteenth configuration). Preferably, in the power management systemaccording to the nineteenth configuration, even when a control signal isreceived from the current supplier, a switch corresponding to a outletto which an uninferred power consumer is connected is not controlled (atwentieth configuration).

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

As described above, according to the present invention, more usefulpower management systems and power outlet units are provided. Moreover,according to the present invention, it possible to control, and monitorthe electric power consumption of, even a home appliance that isincapable of being controlled or being monitored for electric powerconsumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[FIG. 1] is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of Example1 of the present invention (Example 1);

[FIG. 2] is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of Example2 of the present invention (Example 2);

[FIG. 3] is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of Example3 of the present invention (Example 3);

[FIG. 4] is a principal flow chart showing the operation of an overallcontroller in each example;

[FIG. 5] is a flow chart showing the details of steps S6, S20, and S24in FIG. 4;

[FIG. 6] is a flow chart showing the details of step S32 in FIG. 4;

[FIG. 7] is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of Example4 of the present invention (Example 4);

[FIG. 8] is a principal flow chart illustrating the operation of aconverter power outlet controller in Example 4;

[FIG. 9] is a flow chart showing the details of steps S134 and S136 inFIG. 8;

[FIG. 10] is a flow chart showing the details of step S168 in FIG. 9;and

[FIG. 11] is a principal flow chart illustrating the operation of anoverall controller in a power section in Example 5 of the presentinvention (Example 5).

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLE 1

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of oneembodiment, Example 1, of the present invention. Example 1 constitutes apower outlet system in a household. A commercial power supply 2 isdiverted to a power section 4 in the household, and is then connected,via a power meter 6, to a distribution board 8. An overall controller 10controls, and monitors the status of, the distribution board 8. Theoverall controller 10 controls the power outlet system in the householdby transmitting, via a PLC (power-line communication) modem 12, controlsignals in a form superposed on current signals passing through a powerline. The overall controller 10 includes a storage 13, in whichinformation on which home appliances are connected to which sockets inwhich power outlets is stored as will be described later. The overallcontroller 10 is controlled through settings made on an operation panel14, and how it is being controlled is displayed on a display 16. Thedisplay 16 also displays total and appliance-by-appliance electric powerconsumption based on the results of detection of electric currentspassing through respective power outlet sockets and the reading on thepower meter.

To the distribution board 8 are connected power outlets which arearranged at different places in the household. In FIG. 1, forsimplicity's sake, only one power outlet 18 is illustrated in detailwhile others are omitted. As indicated by broken lines, a number ofsimilar power outlets can be connected to the distribution board 8.These power outlets can be controlled by the overall controller 10, andhow that is done will be described in detail with respect to the poweroutlet 18. The power outlet 18 receives electric power from thedistribution board 8, and outputs it from a socket 22 via a switch 20.The power outlet 18 includes a PLC modem 24, which splits a controlsignal transmitted from the overall controller 10 by power-linecommunication and, based on it, turns on and off the switch 20. Forexample, when a long journey or the like is planned, a standby currentoff mode can be invoked for the socket 22 through operation on theoperation panel 14; the overall controller 10 then transmits a controlsignal to turn off the switch 20, so that an unnecessary standby currentto an appliance 28 connected to the socket 22 can be turned off. Foranother example, a timer can be set on the operation panel 14 such thatthe overall controller 10 keeps the switch 20 off only during apredetermined time zone of the day and keeps it on during the rest ofthe day.

The power outlet 18 is provided with a current sensor 26, which monitorsthe electric current passing via the socket 22, and transmits amonitoring signal to the power section 4 via the PLC modem 24 bypower-line communication. In the power section 4, the monitoring signalis split by the PLC modem 12 and is received by the overall controller10. The monitoring signal serves three purposes. The first purpose is toinfer a socket 22 that causes a change in the total electric powerreading on the power meter 6 based on a change in the monitoring signalof the electric current passing via the socket 22 and the correspondingchange in the total electric power reading on the power meter. Theelectric power consumed via the inferred socket 22 is then calculated.By grasping socket-by-socket electric power consumption in this way anddisplaying the results on the display 16, it is possible to “visualize”appliance-by-appliance electric power consumption. It is also possible,when the total electric power exceeds a predetermined peak, to identifyone or more appliances that are causing the excess, and tocomprehensively control individual appliances to reduce total electricpower consumption.

The second purpose of the monitoring signal is to turn off the supply ofelectric power to a socket via which no electric current is beingconsumed by an appliance. Specifically, when the electric current beingmonitored by the current sensor 26 remains zero for a predeterminedlength of time or more, the overall controller 10 recognizes that thesocket 22 is vacant, with no plug of an appliance 28 inserted in it; theoverall controller 10 then transmits a control signal to turn off theswitch 20. Even after turning off the switch 20, the overall controller10 transmits to the switch 20, every predetermined period, a controlsignal to turn on the switch 20 for a short period to check whether ornot the current sensor 26 detects an electric current. If an electriccurrent is detected, it is recognized that a plug of an appliance 28 hasbeen inserted in it, and the switch 20 is thereafter kept on. It is notonly when a plug of an appliance 28 is disconnected, but also when,while a plug is left inserted, the main power to an appliance 28 isturned off and its current consumption drops to completely zero, thatthe switch 20 is turned off based on the monitoring signal from theappliance 28. Also in this case, when the main power to the appliance 28is turned back on, this is recognized based on the monitoring signalfrom the current sensor 26, and the switch 20 is turned on.

The third purpose of the monitoring signal is to turn off the supply ofelectric power to a socket at fault. Specifically, when the electriccurrent being monitored by the current sensor 26 is higher than therated value, it is recognized that either the appliance 28 is at faultor the socket 22 is short-circuited by an inserted foreign object; theoverall controller 10 thus transmits a control signal to turn off theswitch 20. The limit current value over which a fault is recognized canbe set on a socket-by-socket basis based on information from anappliance connected to a socket. To cope with appliances which provideno information, a current value equal to or higher than one improbablein their normal use but lower than one posing an imminent danger is setfor common use. This common limit current value is set to be higher thanthe limit current values set based on information from individualappliances but lower than the current value at which a breaker on thedistribution board 8 is activated. In this way, it is possible to turnoff the supply of electric current finely for each socket in each poweroutlet before the breaker on the distribution board is activated.

An appliance 28 is connected via a plug 30 to a socket 22 in a poweroutlet 18, and includes a functional part 32 which executes thefunctions of the appliance 28 per se. The appliance 28 can be, forexample, a television, refrigerator, air conditioner, light, vacuumcleaner, washing machine, or the like. The functional part 32 iscontrolled by a controller 36 based on manual operation performed, ormanual settings made, on an operation panel 34. The controller 36 canalso automatically control the functional part 32 based on a controlsignal received from the overall controller 10 by power-linecommunication and split by a PLC modem 38. The controller 36discriminates whether or not a control signal is directed to theappliance 28 based on an IP address included in the control signal. Onreceiving a control signal directed to the appliance 28, the controller36 automatically controls the functional part 32 based on it.Specifically, in a case where the appliance 28 is an air conditioner,the functional part 32 is so controlled that the cooling operation ofthe appliance 28 does not overlap with, for example, the refrigeratingoperation of a refrigerator connected to a socket in another poweroutlet. In this way, the overall controller 10 transmits control signalsto individual appliances to shift the time zones in whichpower-consuming functions are executed, thereby to achieve overallcontrol such that the total electric power reading on the power meter 6does not exceed a predetermined peak.

The controller 36 includes a storage 40, in which an IP address thatidentifies the appliance 28 is stored. By a predetermined protocol, thecontroller 36 transmits the IP address via the PLC modem 38 to theoverall controller 10. In the overall controller 10, the IP addressassigned to the socket 22 in the power outlet 18 is stored in thestorage 13. Based on this IP address, the overall controller 10recognizes the monitoring signal from the current sensor 26 and turns onand off the switch 20. In the storage 13 are also stored the IPaddresses of different appliances connected in the system as receivedfrom them respectively. In the storage 13 is further stored thecorrespondence between the IP addresses of appliances and the IPaddresses of sockets 22, so that the overall controller 10 can recognizewhich appliances are connected to which sockets in order to graspappliance-by-appliance electric power consumption and to controlindividual appliances. An IP address that identifies an appliance 28 istransmitted to the overall controller 10, for example, when electricpower starts to be supplied to the household (and also when the supplyof electric power is restarted after an electric outage), or when a plug30 is newly inserted in a socket 22, or when a switch 20 is turned on.The overall controller 10 then checks it against the previouslytransmitted IP addresses stored in the storage 13, and if there has beenany change, the stored IP addresses are updated.

In a case where an appliance in which no IP address is stored or that isincapable of transmitting one to the overall controller 10 is connectedto a socket 22 in a power outlet 18, an ID identifying such an applianceis assigned as the IP address of the socket 22 manually on the operationpanel 14. This ID can be determined arbitrarily by a user. In this case,the appliance cannot be controlled, but on the basis of the ID assignedas the IP address of the socket 22, it is possible to identify theappliance and calculate its electric power consumption in similarmanners as described above. Then, by displaying the calculated value onthe display 16, it is possible to “visualize” the electric powerconsumption of the appliance.

Now, a description will be given of a converter power outlet 19 shown inFIG. 1. The converter power outlet 19 has quite the same configurationas the power outlet 18 (comprising a current sensor, a PLC modem, and aswitch). A difference is that the converter power outlet 19 is providednot as a built-in fitting of the house which is directly wired to thedistribution board 8, but as an adaptor which, when inserted in a socketin an ordinary power outlet 17 that is not configured as a controllableone, converts it into a controllable power outlet. That is, by insertinga plug of a converter power outlet 19 in a socket in an ordinary poweroutlet 17, and then inserting a plug of a compatible appliance 29, thatis, an appliance capable of PLC communication or the like into a socketin the converter power outlet 19, it is possible to coordinate thecompatible appliance 29 with, and control it from, the power section 4in quite the same manner as described above with respect to the poweroutlet 18 and the appliance 28.

EXAMPLE 2

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of anotherembodiment, Example 2, of the present invention. Example 2 tooconstitutes a power outlet system in a household. Example 2 in FIG. 2has much in common with Example 1 in FIG. 1; accordingly the same partsare identified by common reference signs and no overlapping descriptionwill be repeated unless necessary. Example 2 differs from Example 1 inthat a power outlet 42 is a two-socket power outlet which additionallyhas a second socket 44, and that the power outlet 42 further has controlconnectors 46 and 48 for appliance control. The appliance 28 in Example2 is identical with the appliance 28 in Example 1, and its coordinationwith the power section 4 via the power outlet 42 is the same as inExample 1; therefore no overlapping description will be repeated. Whenthe appliance 28, which is controlled by power-line communication, isconnected to a first socket 22 (identical with the socket 22 in FIG. 1),the first control connector 46, which corresponds to it, is not used.

Example 2 will now be described in detail, with focus placed on therelationship with a second appliance 50. As mentioned above, in Example2, the power outlet 42 is provided with a first socket 22 and a firstcontrol connector 46 corresponding to it, which together constitute afirst pair, and in addition a second socket 44 and a second controlconnector 48 corresponding to it, which together constitute a secondpair. Although in FIG. 2 the first appliance 28 is connected to thefirst socket 22 and the second appliance 50 is connected to the secondsocket 44, this can be the other way around. Thus, the power outlet 42is provided with two similarly configured parts to allow a givenappliance to be connected to either of the sockets. The first and secondcontrol connectors 46 and 48 are for conducting communication acrossthem when an appliance incapable of power-line communication isconnected to the first or second socket 22 or 44 respectively.Specifically, the power outlet 42 includes a PLC modem 52, which splitsa control signal and an IP address request signal transmitted from theoverall controller 10 to output the result to the control connectors 46and 48, and which integrates an IP address signal received from thecontrol connectors 46 and 48 into the electric current passing throughthe power line to transmit it to the overall controller 10.

In connection with the second socket 44, there are provided a switch 54and a current sensor 56. These are similar to the switch 20 and thecurrent sensor 26 which are provided in connection with the first socket22. Based on the IP address contained in a split control signal, the PLCmodem 52 discriminates whether the control signal is directed to thefirst or the second socket 22 or 44 and turns on or off the switch 20 orthe switch 54 accordingly.

The second appliance 50, which is connected via a plug 58 to the secondsocket 44 in the power outlet 42, just like the first appliance 28,includes a functional part 60 which executes the functions of the secondappliance 50 per se. The second appliance 50 too can be, for example, atelevision, refrigerator, air conditioner, light, vacuum cleaner,washing machine, or the like, and is no different in nature from thefirst appliance 28 except that the second appliance 50 is incapable ofpower-line communication. As in the first appliance 28, the functionalpart 60 of the second appliance 50 is controlled by a controller 62based on manual operation performed, or manual settings made, on anoperation panel 64. The controller 62 is connected via a control plug 66to the second control connector 48 in the power outlet 42. Thus, thecontroller 62 can communicate with the overall controller 10 by means ofsignals exchanged with the overall controller 10 by power-linecommunication and split and integrated by the PLC modem 52.Specifically, based on the IP address contained in a control signalreceived via the control plug 66, the controller 62 discriminateswhether or not the control signal is directed to the second appliance50, and if so the controller 62 automatically controls the functionalpart 62 based on the control signal. In this way, in a similar manner asdescribed previously in connection with the first appliance 28 inExample 1, it is possible to shift the time zones in whichpower-consuming functions are executed in relation to other appliances,thereby to achieve overall control such that the total electric powerreading on the power meter 6 does not exceed a predetermined peak.

As in the first appliance 28, the controller 62 of the second appliance50 includes a storage 68, in which an IP address that identifies thesecond appliance 50 is stored. By a predetermined protocol, thecontroller 62 transmits the IP address via the PLC modem 52 in the poweroutlet 42 to the overall controller 10. In the overall controller 10,the received IP address of the second appliance 50 is stored in thestorage 13. In the storage 13 is also stored the IP address assigned tothe second socket 44 in the power outlet 42, and based on this IPaddress, the overall controller 10 recognizes the monitoring signal fromthe current sensor 56 and turns on and off the switch 44. In the storage13 is further stored the correspondence between the IP address of thesecond appliance 50 and the IP address of the second socket 44, so thatthe overall controller 10 can recognize which appliance is connected towhich socket in order to grasp appliance-by-appliance electric powerconsumption and to control individual appliances.

Example 3

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of yetanother embodiment, Example 3, of the present invention. Example 3 tooconstitutes a power outlet system in a household. Example 3 in FIG. 3has much in common with Examples 1 and 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2; accordingly,the same parts are identified by common reference signs, and nooverlapping description will be repeated unless necessary. Example 3differs from Examples 1 and 2 in that communication between the powersection and a power outlet is achieved not by power-line communicationbut by near-field communication (NFC).

Specifically, to the overall controller 10 in the power section 72, anNFC wireless communicator 74 is connected, so that the overallcontroller 10 can communicate with power outlets by near-fieldcommunication. Correspondingly, a power outlet 76 includes an NFCwireless communicator 78, and communicates with the NFC wirelesscommunicator 74 in the power section 72. The relationship between theNFC wireless communicator 78 in the power outlet 76 and the controlconnector 48 is comparable with the relationship, in Example 2 in FIG.2, between the PLC modem 52 and the second control connector 48, and soare the functions of the components involved. In other respects, i.e.,with respect to the switch 54 and the current sensor 56, the poweroutlet 76 is configured similarly as in Example 2 in FIG. 2;accordingly, equivalent parts are identified by common reference signs,and no overlapping description will be repeated. Also, the secondappliance 50, which is connected via a plug 58 to the second socket 44in the power outlet 76 and which is connected via a control plug 66 tothe control connector 48 in the power outlet 76, is configured similarlyas in Example 2 in FIG. 2; accordingly, equivalent parts are identifiedby common reference signs, and no overlapping description will berepeated.

A converter power outlet 80 and a third appliance 82 in Example 3 inFIG. 3 are basically configured similarly to the power outlet 76 and thesecond appliance 50. Accordingly, equivalent parts are identified bycommon reference signs, and no overlapping description will be repeated.Between the power outlet 76 and the converter power outlet 80, theirrespective switches 54 and current sensors 56 are distinguished based onIP addresses; thus they are distinguished in a similar manner as are theswitch 20 and the current sensor 26 in Example 2 in FIG. 2.

Like the converter power outlet 19 described in connection with Example1 in FIG. 1, the converter power outlet 80 differs from the power outlet76 in that the converter power outlet 80 is provided not as a built-infitting of the house which is directly wired to the distribution board8, but as an adaptor of which a plug 88 is inserted in a socket 86 in anordinary power outlet 84. The converter power outlet 80 thus convertsthe ordinary power outlet 84 into a controllable power outlet, therebymaking it possible to grasp the electric power consumption by the thirdappliance 82 and to control the third appliance 82.

FIG. 4 is a principal flow chart illustrating the operation of theoverall controller 10 in Examples 1 to 3. The flow starts when the powersection 4 or 72 starts to be supplied with electric power from thecommercial power supply 2. At step S2, a procedure for establishingcommunication with sockets is performed. Next, at step S4, a process forchecking the IP addresses of those sockets is performed, and then, atstep S6, a process for checking the IP addresses of appliances isperformed; then an advance is made to step S8. Step S6 includes aprocess for manually assigning, for an appliance having no IP address,an ID of the appliance as the IP address of a socket.

At step S8, any socket in which no plug is found to be inserted isturned off. Next, at step S10, whether or not a standby current off modehas been invoked is checked, and if not, at step S12, a setting targetsocket is turned on; then an advance is made to step S14. For anysetting target socket that is on from the beginning, nothing is done atstep S12, and an advance is made to step S14. On the other hand, if, atstep S10, the standby current off mode is found to have been invoked, anadvance is made to step S16, where a setting target socket is turnedoff, and an advance is made to step S14.

At step S14, it is checked whether or not a plug of an appliance hasnewly been inserted in any socket in which no socket had previously beeninserted. On detecting a newly inserted plug, at step S18, the socket isturned on; then, at step S20, a process for checking the IP address ofthe appliance is performed, and then an advance is made to step S22. If,at step S14, no newly inserted plug of an appliance is detected, then ajump is made to step S22.

At step S22, it is checked whether or not any socket has been turned onthat had previously been off despite a plug being inserted in it. Ondetecting a socket having been turned on, at step S24, a process forchecking the IP address of the corresponding appliance is performed, andthen an advance is made to step S26. On the other hand, if, at step S22,no socket is found to have been turned on, a jump is made to step S26.At step S22, it is also checked whether or not any breaker that governsa plurality of power outlets and sockets together has been turned on sothat, on detecting a breaker having been turned on, then, at step S24,as when a socket has been turned on, a process for checking the IPaddresses of the corresponding appliances governed by the breaker isperformed, and then an advance is made to step S26.

At step S26, based on the monitoring signal from a current sensor, it ischecked whether or not there is any socket at which the monitoredelectric current has remained zero for a predetermined length of time orlonger and thus a plug is considered to have been removed, or any socketat which the monitored electric current is higher than the rated valueand thus a fault such as a short-circuit is considered to have occurred.On detecting a zero current for the predetermined length of time orlonger, or on detecting a current higher than the rated value, anadvance is made to step S28, where the socket is turned off. Next, atstep S30, the IP address of the appliance that has been inserted in thesocket is deleted from memory, and an advance is made to step S32. Onthe other hand, if, at step S26, neither zero current for thepredetermined length of time or longer nor a current higher than therated value is detected, a jump is made to step S32.

At step S32, a process for monitoring and controlling sockets based oncurrent sensors, the power meter, etc. is performed, and then an advanceis made to step S34. At step S34, it is checked whether or not electricpower is being supplied from the commercial power supply 2 to the powersection 4 or 72 so that, if so, a return is made to step S10, where, solong as electric power continues being supplied, steps S10 through S34are repeated to cope with various changes in situation. If, at step S34,electric power is found to have stopped being supplied, the flow ends.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the details of the appliance IP addresschecking process in steps S6, S20, and S24 in FIG. 4. When the flowstarts, at step S40, one socket is identified as a target. Then, at stepS42, whether or not an appliance IP address check has been done apredetermined times or more is checked so that, if it has been done thepredetermined times or less, an advance is made to step S44, where an IPaddress is requested from an appliance that is connected to the socket.Next, at step S46, whether or not an IP address is returned from theappliance is checked, and, if not, the appliance is recognized as onehaving no IP address, and an advance is made to step S48. At step S48,an indication prompting manual entry of an appliance ID to be assignedto the socket is shown on the display 16, and then, at step S50, whetheror not an appliance ID to be assigned to the socket is manually enteredin response is checked. If one is manually entered, an advance is madeto step S50. If, at step S46, an IP address is returned from theappliance, a jump is made to step S52.

At step S52, whether or not any appliance IP address has already beenstored in the storage 13 is checked. If there is any stored IP address,then an advance is made to step S54, where the newly returned IP addressis compared with the stored IP address to check whether or not they areidentical. If not, then at step S56, an indication prompting approval ofupdating of the appliance IP address is displayed, and, at step S58,whether or not an approving operation is done within a predeterminedlength of time is checked. On detecting an approving operation, anadvance is made to S60. On the other hand, if, at step S52, no applianceIP address is found to be stored, a jump is made to step S60. Also if,at step S54, the newly retuned IP address is fond to be identical withthe stored IP address, a jump is made to step S60. By contrast, if, atstep S58, no approving operation is done within the predetermined lengthof time, a return is made to step S42, where whether or not theappliance IP address check has been done the predetermined number oftimes or more is checked. So long as the appliance IP address check hasbeen done the predetermined number of times or less, steps S42 throughstep S58 are repeated.

At step S60, the new appliance IP address is stored, and then an advanceis made to step S64. In the process at step S60, namely “STORE NEWAPPLIANCE IP ADDRESS”, it can occur that the same IP address as the onestored previously is stored anew, with no apparent change in what isstored. On the other hand, if, at step S42, the appliance IP addresscheck has been done the predetermined number of times or more, then anadvance is made to step S62, where an indication to the effect that theappliance connected to the socket in question is unknown is displayed onthe display 16, and an advance is made to step S64. At step S64, whetheror not there is any next socket on which to make the check is checked,and, if any, a return is made to step S40, where the same sequence isrepeated for the next target socket. By contrast, if, at step S64, thereis no next target socket, the flow ends, and an advance is made to stepS8, S22, or S26 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the details of the monitoring/controllingprocess at step S32 in FIG. 4. When the flow starts, at step S72,whether it is time to take a measurement is checked; if so, at step S74,the electric current at each socket is measured, and at step S75, thetotal electric power at that time is read from the power meter 6. Then,at step S76, based on the total electric power and the current at eachsocket, appliance-by-appliance electric power consumption is calculated,and the results are stored in the storage 13 and are displayed on thedisplay 16; then an advance is made to step S78. In this way, it ispossible to “visualize” appliance-by-appliance electric powerconsumption. On the other hand, if, at step S72, it is not time to takea measurement, a jump is made to step S78.

At step S78, based on changes in socket-by-socket electric powerconsumption and in total electric power, it is checked whether or notany data has arisen that needs to be dealt with. This check correspondsto a check for a time zone in which, a frequency at which, a trend withwhich, etc., total electric power consumption is high. If any such datais found, an advance is made to step S80, where a process for extractinga time zone in which total electric power consumption becomes equal toor higher than a predetermined level is performed. Next, at step S82,based on information from current sensors, an analyzing process isperformed to identify a combination of sockets (hereinafter referred toas responsible sockets) that causes a rise in total electric powerconsumption and a time zone in which such a rise is observed. Then, atstep S84, a process for extracting responsible sockets is performed, andan advance is made to step S86. The processes at steps S80, S82, and S84are not performed up to their completion; they are suspended at thelapse of a predetermined period, and an advance is made to the nextstep.

At step S86, it is checked whether or not the processes at steps S80,S82, and S84 all have been performed up to their completion, and if not,an advance is made to step S88. At step S88, it is checked whether ornot the processing times currently allotted to steps S80, S82, and S84have expired, and if so, then an advance is made to step S90, where aprocedure for suspending the processes is performed, and an advance ismade to step S92. On the other hand, if, at step S88, the processingtimes currently allotted to steps S80, S82, and S84 have not expired, areturn is made to step S80, so that the processes at steps S80, S82, andS84 are repeated on a time division basis until the allotted timesexpire. If, at step S86, it is found that the processes at steps S80,S82, and S84 all have been completed, a jump is made to step S92. If, atstep S90, the procedure for suspending the processes is performed, then,when step S32 is reached next time in FIG. 4, the processes arerestarted. If, at step S78, no data is found that needs to be dealtwith, a jump is made to step S92.

At step S92, it is checked whether or not a management-requiring timezone (a time zone in which the total electric power consumption issupposed to rise) has set in. If not, an advance is made to step S94,where whether or not the total electric power consumption is equal to orhigher than a predetermined level is checked. If so, an advance is madeto step S96, where responsible sockets are extracted, and an advance ismade to step S98. On the other hand, if, at step S92, amanagement-requiring time zone has set in, data of responsible socketsbased on previous analysis is adopted, and an advance is made to stepS98. In this way, even outside a management-requiring time zone that isexpected based on previously analysis, whenever the total electric powerconsumption becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined level, it isdealt with by extracting responsible sockets at step S96.

At step S98, the appliances connected to responsible sockets are managedin a comprehensive fashion, and a management signal instructing to shiftthe peaks of electric power consumption is fed to the appliances; then,the flow ends. On the other hand, if, at step S94, the total electricpower consumption is not equal to or higher than the predeterminedlevel, the flow ends immediately.

EXAMPLE 4

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of stillanother embodiment, Example 4, of the present invention. Example 4 tooconstitutes a power outlet system in a household. Example 4 in FIG. 7has much in common with Examples 1 to 3 in FIGS. 1 to 3; accordingly,the same parts are identified by common reference signs, and nooverlapping description will be repeated unless necessary. Example 4differs from Examples 1 to 3 in that appliances involved are ordinaryappliances incapable of IP address-based communication or automaticcontrol, and that their monitoring and control are achieved viaconverter power outlets or converter power taps. Here, as will bedescribed later, an appliance can be controlled only in terms of turningon and off of the supply of electric power.

The configuration will now be described specifically with reference toFIG. 7. In Example 4, a power section 172 includes, as means forcommunication, both a PLC modem 12 and an NFC wireless communicator 74,and accordingly an overall controller 110 functions in a slightlydifferent manner; in other respects, the power section 172 is similar tothe power section 72 in Example 3 in FIG. 3; accordingly, equivalentparts are identified by common reference signs, and no overlappingdescription will be repeated. A fourth appliance 182, which is anordinary appliance, has no control plug 66 for communication, like theone shown in FIG. 3, and accordingly a controller 162 is not configuredto allow automatic control by communication and has a simplifiedconfiguration to provide control the functions of the appliance per se.In other respects, the fourth appliance 182 has a similar configurationas in Example 3 in FIG. 3; accordingly, equivalent parts are identifiedby common reference signs, and no overlapping description will berepeated. A fifth appliance 183 has a similar configuration as thefourth appliance 182; accordingly, equivalent parts are identified bycommon reference signs, and no overlapping description will be repeated.

Like the converter power outlet 80 in Example 3 in FIG. 3, a converterpower outlet 180 is configured such that a plug 188 of the converterpower outlet 180 is inserted in a socket 86 in an ordinary power outlet84. This converts the ordinary power outlet 84 into a controllable poweroutlet, thereby making it possible to grasp the electric powerconsumption by the fourth and fifth appliances 182 and 183 connectedrespectively to sockets 122 and 144 in the converter power outlet 180.

Specifically, the converter power outlet 180 receives electric powerfrom the distribution board 8 via the plug 188, and outputs it from thesockets 122 and 144 via switches 120 and 154 respectively. A PLC modem152 in the converter power outlet 180 splits a control signaltransmitted from the overall controller 10 by power-line communication,and based on a power outlet specifying signal contained in the controlsignal, turns on and off the switches 120 and 154. The significance ofthis function will be understood based on Examples 1 to 3 in FIGS. 1 to3, and therefore no detailed description will be repeated.

A current sensor 126 monitors an electric current passing via the socket122, and transmits a monitoring signal to the power section 172 via thePLC modem 152 by power-line communication. In the power section 172, theoverall controller 10 receives the monitoring signal split by the PLCmodem 12. Likewise, a current sensor 156 monitors an electric currentpassing via the socket 144, and transmits a monitoring signal to thepower section 172 via the PLC modem 152 by power-line communication. Theuse of a monitoring signal received by the overall controller 110 willbe understood based on the description given in connection with Examples1 to 3 in FIGS. 1 to 3, and therefore no detailed description will berepeated.

The power outlet controller 111 accumulates a history of values of theelectric currents monitored by the current sensors 126 and 156respectively and, by analyzing them, infers what appliances areconnected to the corresponding sockets 122 and 144 respectively. Theinference is based on, with respect to the current values accumulated ina storage 113, a current value factor such as a maximum current valuemonitored, current variation width, or current variation pattern, or atime factor such as a current-consuming time zone or current-consumingfrequency, or a combination of at least one from each category. Detailswill be given later.

A converter power tap 176 is configured similarly to the converter poweroutlet 180 except that the former achieves communication with the powersection 172 by near-field communication (NFC) as in Example 3 in FIG. 3,and accordingly, here, only an NFC wireless communicator 178, whichcommunicates with the NFC wireless communicator 74, and a tap controller115 are illustrated, with all the other components omitted. Like theconverter power outlet 180, the converter power tap 176, when its plug189 is inserted in a socket 186 in an ordinary power outlet 184,converts the ordinary power outlet 184 as if a controllable power tap isextended from it. By inserting appliance plugs (unillustrated) insockets (unillustrated) in the converter power tap 176, it is possibleto grasp the electric power consumption of those appliances, and to turnon and off the supply of electric power to them. Although in Example 4in FIG. 7, the converter power outlet 180 achieves communication by PLCand the converter power tap 176 achieves communication by NFC, this isnot meant as any limitation; the converter power outlet 180 and theconverter power tap 176 can achieve communication the other way around,or they can both achieve communication by either PLC or NFC; eitherconverter power outlets 180 alone or converter power taps 176 alone canbe connected to both the converter power outlet 180 and the converterpower tap 176.

FIG. 8 is a principal flow chart illustrating the operation of the poweroutlet controller 111 in the converter power outlet 180 in Example 4 inFIG. 7. When a plug 188 of the converter power outlet 180 is inserted ina socket 86 in the ordinary power outlet 84, and as a result electricpower starts to be supplied to the converter power outlet 180, the flowstarts. At step S102, a procedure for establishing communication withthe overall controller 110 in the power section 172 is performed.Subsequently, at step S104, whether or not the IP address of theconverter power outlet 180 has already been registered in the storage 13in the overall controller 110 is checked. If not, an advance is made tostep S106, where the IP address is registered through communication withthe overall controller 110, and then an advance is made to step S108. Ifthe IP address has already been registered, a jump is made to step S108.At step S108, to set up an initial state, all switches in the converterpower outlet 180 (in FIG. 7, the switches 120 and 154) are turned off,and an advance is made to step S110.

At step S110, whether or not a plug of an appliance is inserted in asocket is checked. If a plug is found to be inserted, an advance is madeto step S112, where the switch corresponding to that plug is turned on,and an advance is made to step S114. On the other hand, if, at stepS110, no plug of an appliance is found to be inserted in a socket, anadvance is made to step S116, where the corresponding switch is turnedoff, and then, at step S118, a notice to the effect that applianceinference has been canceled is conveyed to the overall controller 110.If there is a history of no insertion of an appliance plug having beendetected in the previous check and no insertion ever since, nothing isdone at step S118, and an advance is made to step S114. For simplicity'ssake, FIG. 8 only shows the operation with respect to one socket; inpractice, for one socket after another, steps S110, S112, S116, and S118are repeated, and when the checks for all sockets are confirmed to becomplete, an advance is made to step S114.

At step S114, it is checked whether or not a signal instructing to turnon or off all switches corresponding to every power outlet in theconverter power outlet 180 has been received from the overall controller110. If the signal is found to have been received, an advance is made tostep S120, where it is checked whether or not there is any appliancethat has not yet been inferred to be what appliance. If there is anysuch appliance, an advance is made to S122, where except any switchcorresponding to an uninferred appliance, all switches are turned on oroff as instructed, and an advance is made to step S124. The aim is toavoid the inconvenience of the supply of electric power being turned onor off uniformly with no regard to whichever appliance is unidentified.On the other hand, if, at step S120, it is confirmed that there is nouninferred appliance, an advance is made to step S126, where allswitches are turned on or off as instructed, and an advance is made tostep S124. If, at step S114, no signal instructing to turn on or off allswitches is found to have been received, a jump is made to step S124.

At step S124, it is checked whether or not a signal specifying aparticular switch and instructing to turn on or off that switch has beenreceived from the overall controller 110. If the signal is found to havebeen received, an advance is made to step S128, where it is checkedwhether or not an appliance connected to a power outlet corresponding tothe specified switch has already been inferred. If the appliance hasalready been inferred, an advance is made to step S130, where thespecified switch is turned on or off as instructed, and an advance ismade to step S132. On the other hand, if, at step S128, an applianceconnected to a power outlet corresponding to the specified switch is notfound to have been already inferred, a jump is made to step S132. Theaim is to avoid the inconvenience of the supply of electric power to anappliance being turned on or off mechanically despite its beingunidentified. If, at step S124, no signal specifying a particular switchand instructing to turn on or off that switch is not found to have beenreceived, a jump is made to step S132.

At step S132, the electric currents passing through appliances connectedvia sockets are monitored on a time division basis, for a predeterminedshort period for each socket; their values are stored in a storage 113in the converter power outlet 180 itself, and are transmitted to theoverall controller 110 so as to be stored also in the storage 13 in it.As will be described later, so long as electric power is supplied to theconverter power outlet 180, the part of the flow up to step S132 isrepeated in a short while, and thus these processes of monitoring,storing, and transmitting current values are performed substantiallyconstantly. After the lapse of a predetermined short period, an advanceis made to step S132, where a process for appliance inference isperformed; then, at, step S136, a process for appliance inferencenotification is performed, and an advance is made to step S138. Theappliance inference process and the appliance inference notificationprocess will be described in detail later.

At step S138, whether or not electric power is being supplied to theconverter power outlet 180 is checked, and if so, a return is made tostep S110; thereafter, unless electric power is detected not beingsupplied at step S138, steps S110 through S138 are repeated. This is todeal with insertion and removal of plugs on power outlets, signals forturning on and off switches, current monitoring, appliance inference,etc. On the other hand, if, at step S138, it is found that no electricpower is being supplied, the flow ends.

While FIG. 8 shows the functions of the power outlet controller 111 inthe converter power outlet 180 in FIG. 7, these functions can be thoughtof as the functions of the tap controller 115 in the converter power tap176. In that case, the operation of the tap controller 115 will beunderstood when “converter power outlet” in FIG. 8 is read as “converterpower tap”.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the details of the appliance inferenceprocess at step S134 in FIG. 8 and the appliance inference notificationprocess at step S136 in FIG. 8, steps S142 through S168 herecorresponding to step S134 in FIG. 8, steps S170 through S174 herecorresponding to the step S136 in FIG. 8. When, in the flow in FIG. 8,an advance is made from step S132 to step S136, the flow in FIG. 9starts. First, at step S142, whether or not there is any uninferredappliance is checked. If there is any uninferred appliance, an advanceis made to step S144, where one socket to which an uninferred applianceis connected is identified, and an advance is made to step S146. At stepS146, it is checked whether or not a history of current monitoring hasbeen accumulated for a predetermined period or longer with respect tothe uninferred appliance that is connected to the specified socket. If ahistory of current monitoring is found to have been accumulated for apredetermined period or longer, an advance is made to step S148.

At step S148, the maximum current value in the current monitoringhistory of the appliance connected to the socket specified at step S144is compared with a predetermined reference value to check whether ornot, based on the maximum current value being equal to or higher thanthe reference value, a particular appliance can be inferred to be anappliance candidate that can consume such a maximum current. Forexample, one appliance candidate that can consume such a maximum currentis an air conditioner. If there is any appliance that can be taken as acandidate, an advance is made to step S150, where it is recorded as amaximum current-based inferred candidate, and an advance is made to stepS152. On the other hand, if, at step S148, no candidate can be inferredbased on the maximum current value, a jump is made to step S152.

At step S152, in a similar manner, the current variation width in thecurrent monitoring history of the appliance connected to the socketspecified at step S144 is compared with a predetermined reference valueto check whether or not, based on the current variation width beingequal to or higher than the reference value, a particular appliance canbe inferred to be an appliance candidate that exhibits such a currentvariation width. For example, one appliance candidate that can exhibitsuch a current variation width is an electric fan with variable windspeed. If there is any appliance that can be taken as a candidate, anadvance is made to step S154, where it is recorded as a currentvariation width-based inferred candidate, and an advance is made to stepS156. On the other hand, if, at step S152, no candidate can be inferredbased on the maximum current value, a jump is made to step S156.

At step S156, in a similar manner, the current variation pattern in thecurrent monitoring history of the appliance connected to the socketspecified at step S144 is checked against a predetermined referencepattern to check whether or not, based on high similarity of the currentvariation pattern to the reference pattern, a particular appliance canbe inferred to be an appliance candidate that exhibits a currentvariation pattern like the reference pattern. For example, one appliancecandidate that can exhibit a distinctive current variation pattern is arefrigerator. If there is any appliance that can be taken as acandidate, an advance is made to step S158, where it is recorded as acurrent variation pattern-based inferred candidate, and an advance ismade to step S160. On the other hand, if, at step S156, no candidate canbe inferred based on the maximum current value, a jump is made to stepS160.

Whereas in steps S148 through S158 described above, inferences are madebased on current values and their variation in a situation where currentconsumption takes place on a continuous basis, in step S160 and thesubsequent steps, appliances are inferred based on a relationshipbetween presence or absence of current consumption and a time factor.

At step S160, a time zone in which current consumption occurs in thecurrent monitoring history of the appliance connected to the socketspecified at step S144 is checked against a predetermined reference timezone to check whether or not, based on current consumption occurring inthe reference time zone, a particular appliance can be inferred to be anappliance candidate with which current consumption can occur in such atime zone. Specifically, if current consumption occurs around the clock,a candidate for such an appliance is, for example, a refrigerator; ifcurrent consumption occurs chiefly during the night, a candidate forsuch an appliance is, for example, an electric blanket. A time zone herecan be not only a short period such as a day but also a season of theyear. For example, if current consumption occurs chiefly in winter, theappliance cannot be an electric fan but can be a heating appliance suchas an electric kotatsu (typically a leg warmer in the form of a lowtable covered with a blanket, with a heat source in it). If, at stepS160, there is an appliance that can be taken as a candidate, an advanceis made to step S162, where it is recorded as a time zone-based inferredcandidate, and an advance is made to step S164. On the other hand, if,at step S160, no candidate can be inferred based on a time zone, a jumpis made to step S164.

At step S164, in a similar manner, the frequency at which currentconsumption occurs in the current monitoring history of the applianceconnected to the socket specified at step S144 is checked against apredetermined reference frequency to check whether or not, based on thefrequency, a particular appliance can be inferred to be an appliancecandidate. For example, if the frequency is about once a day, anappliance candidate is, for example, a washing machine or a vacuumcleaner. With a comparatively high frequency, an appliance candidate is,for example, a desk lamp. If, at step S164, there is an appliance thatcan be taken as a candidate, an advance is made to step S166, where itis recorded as a frequency-based candidate, and then an advance is madeto step S168. On the other hand, if, at step S164, no candidate can beinferred based on a frequency, a jump is made to step S168.

At step S168, a process for narrowing down candidates in a comprehensivefashion is performed based on what has been stored about inferredcandidates as a result of the checks at steps S142 through S166, andthen an advance is made to step S170. Step S168 will be described indetail later. At step S170, whether or not an inference is complete ischecked, and if so, then at step S172, the inferred result istransmitted to the overall controller 110 in the power section 172 to bestored in the storage 13 there; then an advance is made to step S138. Inthis way, the power section 172 can identify an appliance and monitorits current consumption, and also can identify an appliance and controlthe supply of electric power to it.

On the other hand, if, at step S170, no inference is found to becomplete, an advance is made to step S174, where the fact that theappliance connected to the socket in question remains uninferred isstored in the storage 113, and an advance is made to step S138. If, atstep S142, it is confirmed that there is no uninferred appliance, or if,at step S146, it is not found that a current monitoring history has beenaccumulated for a predetermined period or longer, a jump is made to stepS138.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the details of the comprehensivenarrowing-down process at step S168 in FIG. 9. When, in the flow in FIG.9, an advance is made from step S166 to step S168, the flow shown inFIG. 10 starts. First, at step S182, whether or not there is anyinferred candidate record is checked. If there is any inferred candidaterecord, an advance is made to step S184.

At step S184, based on the inferred candidate record, whether or not asole appliance can be inferred based on a maximum current value ischecked, and if not, an advance is made to step S186. At step S186,based on the inferred candidate record, whether or not a sole appliancecan be inferred based on a current variation width is checked, and ifnot, an advance is made to step S188. At step S188, based on theinferred candidate record, whether or not a sole appliance can beinferred based on a current variation pattern is checked, and if not, anadvance is made to step S190. At step S190, based on the inferredcandidate record, whether or not a sole appliance can be inferred basedon a current consumption time zone is checked, and if not, an advance ismade to step S192. At step S192, based on the inferred candidate record,whether or not a sole appliance can be inferred based on a currentconsumption frequency is checked, and if not, an advance is made to stepS194.

At step S194, out of a plurality of candidates based on one inferencecriterion, one is sorted out as a consideration-worthy candidate, and atstep S196, this consideration-worthy candidate is subject to across-check based on another inference criterion. Then, at step S198,the result of the cross-check is stored. Next, at step S200, based onthe cross-check result, whether or not the consideration-worthycandidate can be inferred to be the sole appliance is checked. If itcannot be inferred to be the sole appliance, then at step S202, whetheror not there is any unconsidered candidate is checked. Just after aconsideration-worthy candidate is sorted out for the first time, therehas to remain at least one unconsidered candidate; thus, back at stepS194, one unconsidered candidate is sorted out as a consideration-worthycandidate, and an advance is made to step S196. Thereafter, until it isfound that a sole candidate has been inferred at step S200, or until itis confirmed that there remains no unconsidered candidate at step S202,steps S194 through S202 are repeated so that all consideration-worthycandidates based on all inference criteria are subjected to cross checksagainst each other.

If, at step S202, it is found that there is no unconsidered candidate,an advance is made to step S204. This means that no sole appliance hasbeen inferred through cross-checks. Accordingly, at step S204,cross-check records are compared together to check whether or not thereis any cross-check record that alone does not permit a sole appliance tobe inferred but that, when compared with other cross-check records,permits a far more probable inference. Then, an advance is made to stepS206, where it is checked whether or not there is any cross-check recordthat permits a highly probable inference, and if any, based on it, asole appliance is inferred, and an advance is made to step S208.

On the other hand, if, at any of steps S184 through S192, a soleappliance can be inferred, an advance is made to step S210, where, forconfirmation, cross-checks against other consideration-worthy candidatesare made, and then at step S212, it is checked whether or not there isany contradiction among the check results. If there is no contradiction,an advance is made to step S208. On the other hand, if there is anycontradiction, an advance is made to step S194, where, as in a casewhere no sole inference cannot be made in any of steps S184 throughS192, the checks from steps S194 through S206 are gone through. On theother hand, if, at step S200, a sole inference can be made, an advanceis made to step S208.

At step S208, an inference completion flag is set, and an advance ismade to step S170 in FIG. 9, where whether or not an inference iscomplete is checked. On the other hand, if, at step S182, no inferredcandidate record is found, or if, at step S206, the probability check atstep S206 is reached with no sole appliance inferred, an advance is madeto step S214, where an inference nonfulfillment flag is set, and then anadvance is made to step S170, where whether or not an inference iscompleted is checked.

EXAMPLE 5

FIG. 11 is a principal flow chart illustrating the operation of theoverall controller in the power section in still another embodiment,Example 5, of the present invention. Example 5 too constitutes a poweroutlet system in a household. The configuration here is in itself thesame as in Example 4, and therefore it will be understood withadditional reference to FIG. 7. Like Example 4, Example 5 presupposesordinary appliances, that is, appliances that are incapable of eithercommunication based on IP addresses or automatic control. Example 5 inFIG. 11 differs from Example 4, of which the operation is shown in FIGS.8 to 10, in that, whereas in Example 4, an appliance is identified in aconverter power outlet or a converter power tap, in Example 5, anappliance is identified in the power section 172. In other respects,Example 5 is similar to Example 4, and therefore it can be understood,except for the appliance inference process shown in FIG. 11, by way ofthe operation of the overall controller 110 in Example 4.

The flow in FIG. 11 starts when electric power starts to be suppliedfrom a commercial power supply to the power section 172. At step S222, aprocedure for establishing communication with sockets is performed.Next, at step S224, a search is made for any converter power outlet andconverter power tap that are connected. Then, based on the results ofthe search, at step S226, whether or not there is any connectedconverter power outlet or converter power tap is checked. If there isany converter power outlet or converter power tap, an advance is made tostep S228, where, first, whether or not all converter power outlets havebeen registered is checked. If there is any unregistered converter poweroutlet, then at step S230, it is registered, and an advance is made tostep S232. On the other hand, if, at step S228, all converter poweroutlets are found to have been registered, a jump is made to step S232.At step S228, also if there is no connected converter power outlet atall, it is regarded that there is no unregistered converter poweroutlet, and an advance is made to step S232.

At step S232, based on the check at step S226 for any connectedconverter power outlet or converter power tap, whether or not allconverter power taps have been registered is checked. If there is anyunregistered converter power tap, then at step S234, it is registered,and an advance is made to step S236. On the other hand, if, at stepS232, all converter power taps are found to have been registered, a jumpis made to step S236. As at step S228, at step S232, if there is noconnected converter power tap at all, it is regarded that there is nounregistered converter power tap, and an advance is made to step S236.

At step S236, for every converter power outlet and converter power tap,a standby current control process is performed. What is done in thisprocess is identical with what is done at steps S10, S12, and S16 inFIG. 4. Then, an advance is made to step S238, where it is checkedwhether or not a new appliance plug has been inserted in a converterpower outlet or converter power tap. If a plug is detected having beeninserted, an advance is made to step S240, where a signal for turning onthe corresponding socket is transmitted, and an advance is made to stepS242.

In Example 5, a history of values of the electric currents monitored bycurrent sensors as transmitted from converter power outlets andconverter power taps is accumulated in the storage 13 in the overallcontroller 110. At step S242, the current sensor history accumulated inthe storage 13 is analyzed to infer appliances connected to sockets inconverter power outlets and converter power taps, and then an advance ismade to step S244. What is specifically done as the inference process atstep S242 is basically the same as the operation shown in FIGS. 9 and10, and a difference is that, whereas in Example 9, the process isperformed locally in each converter power outlet and converter powertap, in Example 10, it is performed in the overall controller 110. In acaser where the appliance inference process is performed in the powersection as shown in FIG. 11, step S172 in FIG. 9 is read as “STORE &DISPLAY INFERENCE”, and step S174 is read as “STORE & DISPLAY INFERENCENONFULFILLMENT”. On the other hand, if, at step S238, no new applianceplug is detected having been inserted, a jump is made to step S244.

At step S244, it is checked whether or not any socket or breaker isdetected being on. This process is similar to what is done at step S22in FIG. 4. If any is detected, an advance is made to step S246, wherethe appliance inference process is performed, and an advance is made tostep S248. What is done at step S246 is similar to what is done at stepS242, and is basically the same as the operation shown in FIGS. 9 and10. On the other hand, if, at step S244, no socket or breaker isdetected being on, a jump is made to step S248.

At step S248, a process for dealing with a removed plug or ashort-circuited socket is performed. What is done here is similar towhat is done at steps S26 to S30 in FIG. 4. Next, at step S250, aprocess for monitoring electric currents in sockets and controlling thesupply of electric current is performed, and an advance is made to stepS252. What is done at step S250 is the same as that described inconnection with step S32 in FIG. 4. If, at step S226, no connectedconverter power outlet or converter power tap is detected, a jump ismade to step S252.

At step S252, whether or not electric power is being supplied from acommercial power supply to the power section 172 is checked, and if so,a return is made to step S224, and thereafter, so long as electric powercontinues being supplied, steps S224 through S252 are repeated to dealwith various changes in situation. If, at step S252, electric power isdetected having stopped being supplied, the flow ends.

<Overview>

To follow is an overview of various aspects of the invention disclosedherein.

An invention disclosed herein provides a power management system whichincludes: a power supplier; a power meter which detects the total powerconsumption of electric power supplied from the power supplier; aplurality of current sensors which detect electric currents passingrespectively through a plurality of power consumers connected to thepower supplier; and a controller which calculates power consumption byeach of the plurality of power consumers based on the power meter andthe plurality of current sensors. This makes it possible to calculate,with a simple configuration, the electric power consumption of eachpower consumer individually.

According to a specific feature of the invention disclosed herein, theplurality of current sensors are provided respectively for sockets inpower outlets to which the power consumers are connected. This makes itpossible to calculate the electric power consumption of power consumersby managing the power outlets to which they are connected.

According to another specific feature of the invention disclosed herein,the controller controls the supply of electric power to each of thesockets. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary supply ofelectric power, and to prevent accidents, through management from thecontroller.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a poweroutlet is provided with includes: a socket to which electric power issupplied from a power supplier; a current sensor which detects anelectric current passing via the socket through a power consumerconnected to the socket; and a transmitter which transmits the result ofcurrent detection by the current sensor to the power supplier. Thismakes it possible to acquire information useful for power management ona socket-by-socket basis easily.

According to a specific feature, the transmitter transmits, to the powersupplier, identifying information by which a power consumer connected tothe socket is identified. This makes it possible to manage a powerconsumer connected to a power outlet by managing the power outlet towhich it is connected.

According to another specific feature, the transmitter transmits, to thepower supplier, information on whether or not a power consumer isconnected to the socket. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessarysupply of electric power, and to prevent accidents, through managementfrom the power supplier.

According to another specific feature, the power outlet further includesa switch which turns on and off the socket based on control from thepower supplier. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary supply ofelectric power, and to prevent accidents, through management from thepower supplier.

According to another specific feature, the power outlet feeds a controlsignal to a power consumer connected to the socket based on control fromthe power supplier. This permits the power supplier to mange powerconsumers in a comprehensive fashion.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a poweroutlet is provided with includes: a socket to which electric power issupplied from a power supplier; and a switch which turns on and off thesocket based on control from the power supplier.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a poweroutlet is provided with includes: a socket to which electric power issupplied from a power supplier; and a transmitter which transmits, tothe power supplier, identifying information by which a power consumerconnected to the socket is identified.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a poweroutlet is provided with includes: a socket to which electric power issupplied from a power supplier; and a feeder which feeds a controlsignal to a power consumer connected to the socket based on control fromthe power supplier.

Another invention disclosed herein provides a power management systemwhich includes: a plurality of current sensors which detect electriccurrents passing respectively through a plurality of power consumers towhich electric power is supplied; and a controller which infers kinds ofthe plurality of power consumers based on the electric currents detectedrespectively by the plurality of current sensors. This makes it possibleto control, and to monitor the electric power consumption of, applianceswith due discrimination among them, even with appliances that areincapable of being controlled or being monitored for electric powerconsumption.

According to a specific feature of the invention disclosed herein, thepower management system further includes a power supplier which supplieselectric power to the power consumers, and the controller is provided inthe power supplier. In this case, appliances are inferred in the powersupplier in a comprehensive fashion. On the other hand, according toanother feature of the invention disclosed herein, the power managementsystem further includes a power outlet unit which receives electricpower and which includes a plurality of sockets to which the pluralityof power consumers are connectible and a plurality of switches whichcontrol the supply of electric power to the sockets respectively. Here,the current sensors and the controller are provided in the power outletunit. In this case, appliances are inferred in each power outlet unit.The power outlet unit is specifically, for example, a converter poweroutlet, converter power tap, or the like.

According to another specific feature, the controller infers the kindsof the power consumers based on variation of the electric currentspassing through the power consumers. For example, the controller infersthe kinds of the power consumers based on one of, or a combination oftwo or more of, a maximum current, a current variation width, and acurrent variation pattern with respect to the electric currents passingthrough the power consumers.

According to another specific feature, the controller infers the kindsof the power consumers based on a time factor with respect to theelectric currents passing through the power consumers. For example, thecontroller infers the kinds of the power consumers based on one of, or acombination of, a current consumption time zone and a currentconsumption frequency with respect to the electric currents consumed bythe power consumers.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a powersupplier is provided which includes a controller which infers, based onelectric currents passing through a plurality of power consumers astargets to supply electric power to, the kinds of the power consumers.This makes it possible to control, and to monitor the electric powerconsumption of, appliances with due discrimination among them, even withappliances that are incapable of being controlled or being monitored forelectric power consumption, and to infer appliances in the powersupplier in a comprehensive fashion.

According to a specific feature, the controller in the power supplierinfers the kinds of the plurality of power consumers based on theresults of current detection as fed from external current sensors whichrespectively detect the electric currents passing through the pluralityof power consumers. According to a further specific feature, thecontroller includes a storage which stores a history of changes in theelectric currents as fed from the current sensors.

According to another feature of the invention disclosed herein, a poweroutlet unit is provided which includes: a plurality of sockets which areconnectible to a power supplier and to which a plurality of powerconsumers are connectible; a plurality of switches which control thesupply of electric power to the sockets respectively; a plurality ofcurrent sensors which respectively detect electric currents passingthrough the plurality of power consumers connected to the sockets; and acontroller which infers the kinds of the plurality of power consumersconnected respectively to the sockets based on the electric currentsdetected respectively by the plurality of current sensors. This makes itpossible to control, and to monitor the electric power consumption of,appliances with due discrimination among them, even with appliances thatare incapable of being controlled or being monitored for electric powerconsumption, and to infer appliances for each power outlet unit. Thepower outlet unit is specifically, for example, a converter poweroutlet, converter power tap, or the like.

According to a specific feature, the power outlet unit includes acommunicator which transmits, to the current supplier, the results ofdetection of the electric currents detected respectively by theplurality of current sensors and which receives, from the currentsupplier, control signals for controlling the plurality of switches.This makes it possible to achieve proper coordination with the powersupplier which supplies electric power to the power outlet unit.

According to a more specific feature, even when a control signal isreceived from the current supplier, the power outlet unit does notcontrol a switch corresponding to a socket to which an uninferred powerconsumer is connected. This makes it possible to prevent impropercontrol with an unidentified control target.

According to another specific feature, even with an uninferred powerconsumer, an electric current detected by a current supplier istransmitted to the power supplier. This makes it possible to monitor theelectric power consumption in the entire household, including uninferredappliances, and also to infer appliances based on the electric currentsdetected by the current sensors in the power supplier.

According to another specific feature, the controller includes a storagewhich stores a history of changes in the electric currents detectedrespectively by the current sensors. This makes it possible to inferappliances properly based on the history of changes in the electriccurrents.

<Other Modifications>

For the sake of convenient description, the various features of thedifferent examples described above are all merely extractions ofdistinctive traits; in practice, unillustrated or undescribed featuresare also involved. The features in one example is not unique to it; thatis, the various features are exchangeable or compatible betweendifferent examples.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention finds applications in power management systems,and in power outlet units such as wall sockets and power strips.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

4, 72 power supplier

6 power meter

26, 56 current sensor

10 controller

18, 19, 42, 76, 80 power outlet

20, 54 switch

182, 183 power consumer

26, 56 current sensor

110, 111 controller

172 power supplier

122, 144 socket

120, 154 switch

176, 182 power outlet unit

182 converter power outlet

176 converter power tap

13, 113 storage

1. A power management system, comprising: a power supplier; a powermeter which detects total power consumption of electric power suppliedfrom the power supplier; a plurality of current sensors which detectelectric currents passing respectively through a plurality of powerconsumers connected to the power supplier; and a controller whichcalculates power consumption by each of the plurality of power consumersbased on the power meter and the plurality of current sensors.
 2. Thepower management system according to claim 1, further comprising: apower outlet unit to which electric power is supplied from the powersupplier, the power outlet unit including a plurality of outlets towhich the plurality of power consumers are connected respectively,wherein the plurality of current sensors are provided respectively inthe plurality of outlets to which the plurality of power consumers areconnected respectively.
 3. The power management system according toclaim 2, wherein the controller controls supply of electric power to therespective outlets.
 4. The power management system according to claim 2,wherein the power outlet unit includes a transmitter which transmitsresults of current detection by the current sensors to the powersupplier.
 5. The power management system according to claim 1, whereinthe controller includes an inferrer which infers kinds of the pluralityof power consumers based on the electric currents detected respectivelyby the plurality of current sensors.
 6. A power outlet unit, comprising:an outlet to which electric power is supplied from a power supplier; acurrent sensor which detects an electric current passing via the outletthrough a power consumer connected to the outlet; and a transmitterwhich transmits a result of current detection by the current sensor tothe power supplier.
 7. The power outlet unit according to claim 6,wherein the transmitter transmits, to the power supplier, identifyinginformation by which a power consumer connected to the outlet isidentified.
 8. The power outlet unit according to claim 6, wherein thetransmitter transmits, to the power supplier, information on whether ornot a power consumer is connected to the outlet.
 9. The power outletunit according to claim 6, further comprising: a switch which turns onand off the outlet based on control from the power supplier.
 10. Thepower outlet unit according to claim 6, wherein a control signal is fedto a power consumer connected to the outlet based on control from thepower supplier.
 11. A power management system, comprising: a powersupplier; a plurality of current sensors which detect electric currentssupplied from the current supplier and passing respectively through aplurality of power consumers; and a controller which infers kinds of theplurality of power consumers based on the electric currents detectedrespectively by the plurality of current sensors.
 12. The powermanagement system according to claim 11, wherein the controller isprovided in the current supplier.
 13. The power management systemaccording to claim 11, further comprising: a power outlet unit whichreceives electric power from the power supplier, the power outlet unitincluding a plurality of outlets to which the plurality of powerconsumers are connectible and a plurality of switches which controlsupply of electric power to the outlets respectively, wherein thecurrent sensors and the controller are provided in the power outletunit.
 14. The power management system according to claim 11, wherein thecontroller infers kinds of the power consumers based on variation of theelectric currents passing through the power consumers.
 15. The powermanagement system according to claim 14, wherein the controller infersthe kinds of the power consumers based on one of, or a combination oftwo or more of, a maximum current, a current variation width, and acurrent variation pattern with respect to the electric currents passingthrough the power consumers.
 16. The power management system accordingto claim 11, wherein the controller infers the kinds of the powerconsumers based on a time factor with respect to the electric currentspassing through the power consumers.
 17. The power management systemaccording to claim 16, wherein the controller infers the kinds of thepower consumers based on one of, or a combination of, a currentconsumption time zone and a current consumption frequency with respectto the electric currents consumed by the power consumers.
 18. The powermanagement system according to claim 11, wherein the controller includesa storage in which a history of variation of the electric currents asfed from the current sensors is stored.
 19. The power management systemaccording to claim 13, wherein the plurality of current sensors areprovided in the power outlet unit, and the power outlet unit includes acommunicator which transmits, to the current supplier, results ofcurrent detection by the plurality of current sensors and whichreceives, from the current supplier, control signals for controlling theplurality of switches.
 20. The power management system according toclaim 19, wherein, even when a control signal is received from thecurrent supplier, a switch corresponding to a outlet to which anuninferred power consumer is connected is not controlled.